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Parking meters coming to West Seventh Street area

Work continues on West Seventh Street traffic and safety improvements, and the next step addresses parking.

Parking meters are being installed in and near the West Seventh area and are expected to be operating by Aug. 30. Parking fees for these meters will vary based on time of day. From 10 a.m.-4 p.m., the rate will be $1 per hour. From 4 p.m.-10 p.m., the rate will be $2.50 per hour. There is no fee from 10 p.m.-10 a.m.

Parking fees may be adjusted by 25 cents per hour on a weekly basis based on demand, with a maximum allowable rate of $4.50 per hour and a minimum rate of $1 per hour.

Fort Worth will be the first city in Texas to implement a demand-driven variable-rate structure for on-street parking. The combination of extended-hours metered parking and the implementation of a demand-driven variable rate has been successfully used in high-demand business and entertainment districts in cities such as Seattle, New York, San Francisco and Boston to address the issue of excessive parking demand and a limited supply of on-street spaces. The use of demand-driven variable-rate parking has resulted in a decrease in search time and congestion as well as an improvement in space turnover and overall business activity in high-demand districts in those cities.

Parking will also be available at the Fort Worth school district’s Farrington Field, located at the corner of University Drive and Lancaster Avenue. Under a new agreement, 400 spaces will be available for employee parking and fee-based parking for the general public beginning Aug. 30. This effort is being managed by the West Seventh Restaurant and Bar Association. Fee-based surface lots and garages in the West Seventh Urban Village are additional alternatives.

The availability of parking at Farrington Field will coincide with the opening of a portion of the new Trail Drive Extension adjacent to Farrington Field to allow easier access to the parking lot.